RSU News

OMA Alumnus to be Inducted into Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame

Lt. Col. Edwin P. Ramsey, an alumnus of the Oklahoma Military Academy (a predecessor institution of Rogers State University) will be inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame on November 11.

The Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame induction ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Gaylord Center on the campus of Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City.

Lt. Col. Ramsey, a 1937 graduate of Oklahoma Military Academy (OMA), fought much of World War II behind enemy lines, barely surviving. For his courageous actions and leadership during the war and since, he was inducted into the OMA Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 1994.

OMA operated from 1919 to 1971 in the present location of Rogers State University in Claremore. The military academy was known as "the West Point of the Southwest."

Ramsey was a young lieutenant in the U.S. Cavalry stationed in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II. When the Japanese invaded the Philippine Islands, he was thrown into the war. He soon found himself cut off from his own forces during the thick of the fighting.

He ultimately became the leader of a force of 40,000 guerilla fighters' intent on regaining the Philippines from Japanese rule. He fought off disease and many setbacks during his time in the Philippines, but his determination paid off when U.S. soldiers reclaimed the islands and Gen. Douglas MacArthur made his famous return. Gen. MacArthur praised Ramsey and said that he was there only "by the grace of God and your good work."

In his 1990 book, "Lieutenant Ramsey's War," Ramsey wrote about his experiences in World War II in graphic detail. He credited his survival of the war to the training he received at OMA.

"It was at OMA that I learned properly to ride (horses)," Ramsey wrote. "Our Bible was the cavalry's two-volume ‘Horsemanship and Horsemastership.' It taught me how to train the horse and train myself, and then the two of us together until we were a unit."

Ramsey left active duty as a Lt. Col. of Cavalry AUS (Ret.). His medals and awards include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star with Oak Leaf cluster and a Distinguished Service Cross. He also received several military awards from the Philippine government including the Legion of Honor (Degree of Commander) and the Cross of Valor.

In 2001, he was honored by being made the newest Office of the Special Forces and given the Green Beret.

Tickets for the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame banquet and ceremony, in Oklahoma City, are $45. Reservations and tickets are available by calling (405) 425-5032.